What if it's so exciting that I pee my pants?

I'm Angela Duckworth.

I'm Stephen Dubner.

And you're listening to No Stupid Questions.

Today on the show, are humans becoming smarter or stupider?

Don't read so much because you'll have to wear glasses and then you'll be ugly.

Also, can you increase your aptitude for curiosity?

Was it Shakespeare said curiosity killeth the cat?

Stephen.

Angela.

Guess whether we are smarter or stupider as a species now compared to 100 years ago.

Hmm.

Unless this is a trick question.

It is not a trick question.

Unless you have some very surprising definition of smart and stupid,

I cannot imagine that we're not on average smarter now than compared to 100 years ago.

I actually, by the way, don't think it's the obvious choice. I think that if you went and asked

a hundred people, do you think that the human species has globally gotten dumber, smarter,

or stayed the same? Really? You think people would say dumber? I think there's a call here for a

freakinomics poll. Interesting. I mean, off the top of my head, one number I know that amazes me,

which is not about smart per se, but it's certainly involved, is global literacy rates. True. So

global literacy rates today, this blows me away. The whole world, it's about 86%.

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